Year: 2005
Type: book
Abstract: This report uses longitudinal survey data on 26,000 men and women aged between 50 and State Pension Age (SPA) over the period 1993-2003 to describe the characteristics of the over-50s and to examine their transitions between employment, unemployment and types of inactivity using econometric techniques.We focus on four labour market states:• employment;• unemployment;• type 1 inactivity (inactive but with some desire to work);• type 2 inactivity (inactive and with no desire to work).These categories can be interpreted as a measure of distance to the labour market: employment is closest, type 2 inactivity furthest away.Some attention is also given to the issue of part-time work. Characteristics of the over-50s Size of the over-50s populationBy summer 2003, there were approximately 8.8 million individuals aged 50-SPA ('over-50s', for short).The data show that, since 1993, there has been an upward trend in the size of the over-50s population.The population is also very predominantly white and the majority live with their partner.There are few cases of dependent children in the family and even fewer below the age of 11.Most individuals either own their property outright or are in the process of buying it through a mortgage.Over-50s men tend to be more highly qualified than women who are much more likely to hold no formal qualifications.This is partly explained by the greater tendency for men to have successfully undergone a recognised trade apprenticeship. See Sections 3.1 and 3.2.The potential role of part-time employment in extending working lives is also apparent.It offers an intermediate step for those wishing to reduce the level of their engagement with the labour market.For men, it also appears to offer a bridge from non-employment to full-time work.For women, it is less of a bridge to full-time work but more of a long-term employment status. SummaryIt should also be noted that the range of variables considered in the econometric models (and indeed the descriptive analysis) is constrained by what is available in the data.It may be that there are other important variables not captured in the data that, therefore, cannot be included in the analysis.For those variables that are included in the econometric models, there is also the possibility that their effects may interact.This is mostly not considered in the analyses that follow.
Language: English
Subfield: Demography
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1597016324